You all
know me by now. I will do a review only after I have read the book. When the
author of this book invited me to review her book, I blithely wrote back my
usual style. I need to know what I am reviewing. Right? I got the book , then
saw the number of pages and I desperately wondered I didn’t just allow myself
to be guided by the first offer and stay close to what amazon.com had to say.
But I knew one review can be different from the other and I had no choice. When
I started reading however, I became very alarmed and uncomfortable. I was
worried, angry at different times and unfortunately I took the story into my
dreams as I became a captive of Memuna Barnes.
I was saddened at the waste of adolescent dreams,
the eagerness of young souls trampled underneath by our base emotions. The
innocence of Memuna and her fellow victims, hope killed by the bullet into the
brains of Fuck-care. Those names , how-are-you, Pustine, C.O Base and a host of
others. It was painful to read how Memuna overcame her first horror at
brutality to her resigned acceptance of it. She never came to terms with it and
she mirrored to us how the older generation had failed them.
Survived the Journey is the journey of an
innocent, fresh- faced, pert and saucy teenage girl, forced to grow up fast and
eventually traumatized by the sheer cussedness of humanity where dreams die
first.. She could easily have used that as the title of her book except for
this detail, Memuna Barnes is a first rate survivor, who had the grace to be
stubborn, a determination to hang on to her virginity, that determined her
dreams.
Memuna survived the darkened dawn so she could
take her place in the sun. Read her story and be inspired. I read and then I
had these questions.
Congratulations on your book but we will love you
to answer a few questions
1.
Please tell us a bit about yourself
A) I am Memuna Barnes in my 30s, one of
nine children. I was born in Liberia to a
Sierra Leonean father and a Liberian
mother. I came to New Zealand in 2000 as
part of the United Nations Refugee
Resettlement Program with my father and
younger sister Mamawa.
2.
You started your story straight away about the
capture and your family remained most times in the shadows. Tell us a bit more
about your parents.
A) Growing up both of my parents were in
the workforce. My mother was a
secretary at a printing company and
my father a manager at Telema Fishing
Company - Liberia's second largest fishing
company. At the time my sister
We're the two kids who lived with them
in Liberia. We were well provided for and if
there ever were hard times before the
war.....my mother made sure my sister and
I didn't know about it. Mama was a
mother who lived for her children. Very hands -
On. She never missed our school programs
although Mamawa and I didn't
attend the same school. Mama would pick
up the child who did not have a program
first and rush off to the school of the
other child and make sure that child knew she
was in the crowd watching. I was always
involved in plays or speeches at mine and
She would run to get Mamawa after work
and rush to my school. She was always
there in time to give me that last
minute cheer, kiss and hug to assure me she was
watching and enjoying every second.
Which for me, was all that mattered.
I was a well catered for child as far as
I know.
Our father worked most of the time and we
only really got to see him at weekends.
My parents paid for everything we
wanted.
3.
What led to the RUF over running your part of the
country?
A) The Revolutionary United Front (RUF)
walked into Sierra Leone from Liberia via
the border and started what they
dubbed "First Battalion" in Pujehun District by
capturing and recruiting young boys
and girls into their rebel force. Soon after they
took Kailahun District which was
dubbed "Second Battalion" giving them access to
diamond mines which were used as
currency for ammunition. So those two
southern districts became rebels
stronghold.
4.
At the end of your journey, did you meet up with
Hassan ?
A) I could have met up with Hassan as I
mentioned towards the end of the book
when I bumped into How-are-you in the
market. However, I was afraid he would
find me and take me again. So no I
didn't.
5.
Did you discover any further news about Base and
Pustine?
A) I know nothing more about Base. I
could find out about Pustine if I asked a few
people but I have not tried to.
6.
You had quite a violent eighteen months as a captive,
has it anyway affected your perception of war, politics and your old country.
A) My experience has indeed affected me a
great deal. First, before this I had no
reason to think about war and I would
forget really quickly soon after watching a
war movie as a child. I remember owning a
toy pistol myself once. However, after
experiencing two civil wars in a space of
a decade, I think it is a pointless waste of
lives, resources, infrastructure and a
heinous offence to humanity. Why not just sit
and talk about issue? Why not negotiate
and bargain ( this is what would have to
happen in the end anyway) and think about
the citizens and the generations to
come?
I think our leaders should picture
themselves as parents when they are voted into
power. They are voted out of trust and
respect should always consider the people
who give them power and use that power for
the people rather than against them.
Create opportunities in form of jobs,
utilize national resources and subsidize the
healthcare and education system of their
respective countries.
Liberia and Sierra Leone need to stand up
and value their people especially when
there are so many emotionally destroyed
individuals running around aimlessly. You
cannot love your country if you have no
respect for human rights.
The aftermath of war, I think is almost as
bad as the war itself. The country is left with traumatized individuals who are
so confused and still scared: for those who
participated in the massacre - they live
with the guilt (if capable of remorse) over the
lives they took, unable to fit in a
functional society ( for people like Hassan, Base,
CO. Gbembo) where instead of people
answering to them they now have to learn
how to have bosses and a job, some live in
fear of retribution.
For those of us who witnessed the horror
we live with recurring nightmares and
sorrow over our loss and we want answers
but no one can offer them. For me
carrying on is something that just happens
because I am alive but still sometimes
feel stuck. These memories can be triggered
by the simplest event. I think about the
day we left Monrovia almost everyday as I
go past the dock and see cruise ships.
Watching contemporary war movies or the
sound of a car backfire gives me
nightmares of the war.
Then all the dead bodies that are left in
the forests where bombs have been thrown at
people... get washed off into waterways and
pollute the environment and lead to the
spread of diseases.
7.
In the book, there seemed to have been a
breakdown of all forms of morality and ethics, what would be your understanding
of this on the younger generation particularly the child soldiers
A) Living in war where there is no one to
judge or guide one apart from God in
Heaven (and that is if you grew up being taught of a higher power) shows
you what humans are capable of given the opportunity.
Younger
children, first of all in a normal situation must always be watched and led on
the right path in life as we all come into this world knowing nothing more than
our basic motor skills. Then a young child who is already confused by adolescence
is taken from his or her family and forced to shed blood and is conditioned to
think that these atrocities are the way of life can only lead to a generation
of damaged men and women who will then go on to raise another angry and
confused generation if care is not taken and something is done to rehabilitate
and integrate those were involved into a functional society.
8.
Hassan seemed to have been portrayed as a villain
but as I read further I find you trusted him more and I wonder if you hoped he
would get some type of counseling too.
A)
I hope Hassan would receive counselling and rehabilitation.
So
many innocent youths were forced into those wars. Of course there were some who
were just downright terrible human beings like those hard core criminals who
were
released
from prisons in every town the rebels took over. Now that these men and women
have been disarmed....what now?
9.
With the benefit of hindsight, what would you
have done differently?
A)
After asking myself this question so many times over the years I cannot think
of
much I could have done. Apart from pleading
with my mother not to travel that day,
that was the last time my sister Mamawa and
I saw her alive.
10.
Is your book going to be available in Liberia and
Sierra Leone, and would it be effective in helping to heal and reconcile the
victims of this war?
A) This is my prayer that this book does
great things for my countries, continent and
the world. I hope I can get SURVIVED:The
Journey into both Liberia and Sierra
Leona and that it is perceived and
accepted it as a healing tool, that my story
encourages talk about theirs and that the government in
these countries do
something to properly integrate these
former rebels into society and heal the
countries, I hope it is perceived as
a history lesson, as well as a possible guide to how matters could
be handled for the sake of the innocent civilians.
11.
Please let us know, in what ways this
recollections has affected you and what advice you might give young persons who
may have been affected by the book
A) Reliving my experience in order for
me to write my book has helped me accept
that sometimes in life things beyond our
control happen to us and we can never get
answers to the question we need answered
in order for us to move on. And that
sometimes being alive and healthy is all
you need to ask God to give you courage to
summon the strength to see his grace in
your life. My questions were: Why? Who
gave these people the right to invade my
life, disrupt my home, and tear me away
from my mother? Who said it was ok to
snatch my innocence away? What makes
them so worthy? God where were you, Why
were you so angry to let it happen?
To every young boy or girl who reads my
book, be courageous, stand for your truth
and be yourself. No bad situation lasts
forever. Have a lot of compassion for yourself
and your peers.
Every new day is a promise.
12.
What group of people will you recommend to read
your book?
I
believe that this is a good read for people of ages 15 and up. There is a
lesson in it for everyone. Our politicians too could learn a thing or two.
13.
Please give us links to anyone interested in
buying the book.
SURVIVED: The Journey can be purchased at www.survivedthejourney.com or amazon.com or http://amzn.com/0473246244
For
comments and discussions after you have read please find me at amazon.com/author/survivedthejourney.com Also at https://www.goodreads.com/httpwwwsurvivedthejourneycom
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